Brian Dancel, the current head chef of Southold Social (56125 Main Road, Southold, 631-765-8888) came to the North Fork in hopes of getting back on his feet after a few challenging years. Not only did he do that, but he found a home of inspiration — from the local agriculture and aquaculture, and also from the people.
“What I became now, during my journey, is because of this area and this community,” says Dancel.
Dancel, who was born in the Philippines and raised in San Francisco, Calif., was not always on track to become a chef. Initially, he pursued a nursing degree at a local college near his home.
“My family background – they’re all in the medical field, but I wasn’t really enjoying it,” says Dancel. “It was not fulfilling enough for me.”
During his less than two-year stint living in Northern Spain in his twenties, Dancel realized that his heart belonged in the kitchen. A chef in Barcelona inspired him to dive into the culinary industry toque-first.
“That’s where I got really into it,” he says. “I set aside everything else and that’s where I focused 100 percent on my career.”
He then returned to his home state to complete the year-and-a-half-long California Culinary Academy program to enhance his skills.
In the early 2000s, Dancel joined the JF Restaurants – a hospitality group founded by Michelin star chef John Fraser – to open Dovetail in New York City, the first of the company’s locations.
From there, he made his way around Manhattan, as a sous chef and working in club and nightlife management.
Almost two decades into his career on the East Coast, the pandemic put a halt on operations for many city businesses, but especially those in hospitality. Around that time, the John Fraser group pitched reopening North Fork Table & Inn (57225 Main Road, Southold, 631-765-0177) with Dancel’s help. In 2021, he made the move to the East End.
Having gone through a divorce just before the pandemic and losing his father during it – at a time where he could not go see and mourn alongside his family – Dancel welcomed the change.
“When I got here, I told myself, ‘I think I need an environment that I can use to piece myself back together again in some sort of way,’” Dancel says.
He quickly fell in love with the North Fork and decided that if he was given the opportunity to stay, “it was a no brainer.”
“I have been to a lot of places, but the North Fork, it is something I really fell in love with,” says Dancel. “I mean, the landscape, the farms, the vineyards, the people, the community, the whole entire thing.”
In 2022, Dancel moved over to Southold Social as chef de cuisine for the seasonal, farm-to-table style American bistro, with chef François Payard at the helm. Payard finished his last season with the restaurant in 2024; Dancel was more prepared to step up.
Now the executive chef of Southold Social, Dancel says that in his time at the restaurant, he has seen the menu become even more local-focused, but he has managed to maintain the casual feel.
Besides the accessible wealth of freshness, however, Dancel’s favorite part of his job has held true to his compassionate spirit.
“When the locals come out,” he says, “this is something I really enjoy because I get to see them, I get to talk to them.”
Stop by Southold Social to try Dancel’s menu on Mondays and Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday from 12 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 8 p.m.
